


Fate is rarely defied (but when it does it leaves marks)

by Kayuri



Series: Fate Marches On [2]
Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Existential Crisis, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Reincarnation, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, a botched one but it works in context, a lot of that, a lot of this as well, i guess, lots of headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26461570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayuri/pseuds/Kayuri
Summary: A death is averted, a child lives longer than it should. A mech drowns in existential fears. Somehow, this changes the end of the war.
Relationships: Knock Out/Soundwave
Series: Fate Marches On [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1923664
Comments: 17
Kudos: 47
Collections: Reincarnations and Transformations





	Fate is rarely defied (but when it does it leaves marks)

**Author's Note:**

> I proudly present my longest fic to date. I hurried in writing this, because I got an idea for a new fic about halfway through, and that caused me to go from roughly 3500 words written in the first week of writing to 12300 in the second one. Talk about enthusiasm. Big, big thanks to bittertrees who I bounced ideas off, and who did not mind my rambles. Also thanks to Quill18 who commented on the prequel of this, and thus gave me an incentive to write.  
> This work contains a whole lot of existential crisis courtesy of Soundwave, and a more or less slow-burn romance with Knockout after Breakdown's death. This was very much an accidental development, but not exactly one I oppose. The timeline had a few liberties taken, but it all works out in the end.  
> Now, have fun reading!

None of the three humans with the Autobots know who he used to be. He’s fine with that. It’s been a long time since then. And yet, at times he feels the lingering traces. Little acts of almost random kindness. Like that time where he didn’t actually hurt them. Just watched. He misses those days at times. Everything was simpler back then.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

At times he wonders why he woke up as Soundwave. Those days he is a little bit more like the boy he used to be, and less like the war veteran he became. That doesn’t say much, not anymore, but it makes his spark ache and Lazerbeak trill in tongues and songs that died out long ago. He takes some comfort from that, but those days are the worst for him. He doesn’t like how fragmented his sense of self is on those days.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Caves. He hates caves. He’s too tall for the majority of those on earth, and those he does fit in tend to be unstable. Or house the unstable. He could do without those, frankly. But this cave is interesting purely because of who is inside. Small. Small, fragile, and so _young_ it almost hurts. A blip compared to how he is now, and it almost makes him laugh that he himself was so young once. That he _used to be that boy_. He stares down at the paling form of Rafael Esquivel, and behind his visor his face pulls into an almost feral grin.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Raf is quivering in his shoes when he sees that gargantuan mech in front of himself. Soundwave was intimidating from a distance already, and he hadn’t had any plans on a close encounter, and yet here he was. The mech is simply staring down at him with that expressionless faceplate, visor staying black, and that unsettles Raf more than anything. Even the tiniest bit of emotion, anger, disgust, or glee, would help make this less unsettling and more like his other encounters with hostile Cybertronians. Then the mech crouches, and in moments they’re as close to eye level as it gets. An involuntary whimper leaves Raf's throat. Then the visor lights up.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Raf goes even more pale when Soundwave plays a short video of Jack, Miko and him being watched by the mech. He could clearly remember that day, considering it was this week. Just at the start, right after they left school. All of them were aware of their surroundings by now, consequences of the war they ended up in, but none of them had noticed the mech he is facing right now, and that scares Raf more than anything. He opens his mouth, then finally chokes out words.

“Why... why didn’t you attack?” The words feel like ash as they leave his mouth. Deep in his gut, Raf already knows he won’t like the answers he will get. A blip on the visor draws his gaze, and he flinches when a recording of Megatron basically spitting the word “Sentimentality" rings out in the cave. The mech in front of him hasn’t moved an inch since he crouched down, but now his arms crash into the ground, skeletal digits drawing furrows. Raf actually jumps back at that.

“Sentimentality? For what?” He doesn’t know why he is still asking. He’s sure he will die here, from asking too many questions and annoying the mech. Said mech looms over him, before a short sequence of a movie trailer plays. Letters appear, and at first Raf doesn’t understand.

“Days... of Future past?” he rolls the words around in his mind for a moment, before an idea comes up, and it makes him sick. As if he already anticipated it, Soundwave plays a track of a quote as an answer.

 _“When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”_ Raf is almost inclined to hysterical laughter at the sight of Soundwave using a _Star Trek_ recording of all things for communication, but the icy feeling in his body stops him.

“No... _No._ ” He squeaks.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Soundwave grins behind his visor, expression wholly feral. For the first time in aeons, he activates his vocoder, the scratchy voice ringing hollow in the cavern.

 _“Yes.”_ He rasps, uncaring of the consequences of this stunt of his. Another video plays on his visor. His death, how he experienced it. Then the same day, millennia later, where he caught that piece of debris in servos that have been coated with spilled energon too many times to count.

“ _It's time to believe.”_ He hisses, throat aching. On his chest, he can feel Lazerbeak sending pulses of surprise, understanding and curiosity, and he quickly sends back a reassurance to tell them later on. The mini-con is his last tether to his time on Cybertron when he was more Rafael than Soundwave. He straightens up, glances down at the small boy, then slinks outside. He doesn’t quite know why he did this, but whatever would come from it, it would throw the boy off from his usual hacking. Admittedly, Soundwave remembers the location of the base, but he forgot the faces of them all long ago. He wants the base to stand just long enough to see them all one more time. Then? Then he would leave it to Megatron.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Apparently around now was the time that Unicron awoke again. The unholy feeling of Dark Energon rushing through his struts and be unmistakable feeling of a spark pulsing in synch with it makes Soundwave grit his dentas and the sight of Megatron basically screaming from the influence of the Dark God was nothing short of spark stopping. The last time he had been a human when that happened, was recovering from almost dying from dark energon. Now? Now he was on even ground with Megatron, he _knew_ that instinctively and deep down, and he hasn’t been afraid in ages. But this scares him. And Airachnid's comments anger him. The stain dark energon left in his spark from when he almost died from it aches, and he feels like howling. Howling like he did back when almost every single one of his creations died, with the emotions from then being coaxed close to the surface, Unicron's awakening making them rise. Outwards, nothing shows, he still gazes impassively at a quivering Megatron cradling his own helm. Horrid whispers of an ancient voice wash over him, almost silent but still present, and he fears for Megatron’s sanity. When the hulking mech gets up and starts walking off, he watches Airachnid. The femme always has been treacherous, and he prefers Starscream to her. He knows the modus operandi of the other mech better, and he prefers the devil he knows.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

His hackles lift underneath his visor when Airachnid proposes her exodus. When she tries to order him to change course, he falls back into his gladiatorial mindset, pedes falling on the ground harshly. The motions of a fight are familiar, and while he has that thrill of the Cybertronian adrenaline equivalent running through his wires, his mind wanders somewhere else entirely. The motions to defend against the legs are as good as automatic, his years in the Pits having honed those instincts to perfection. And yet... something inside him shudders at that, and he feels the dread and revulsion about his own actions grow again. For a moment he is the scared, small boy again, trapped in a body not his own and crying at the loss of everything he knows. For a moment he feels the coolant slide down his cheeks behind his visor, feels like screaming and yelling at the injustice of it all, at being forced to grow up and change, and for a moment it is Rafael who fights the spider bot, not Soundwave, and he holds her off, away, to have this single moment. He doesn’t show it, practiced motion that it is, no one sees how he is at war with himself. He throws the spider off, quickly deploying Lazerbeak, face still contorted into a snarl behind the visor, wet with tears. He hasn’t moved an inch, but he feels every strut in his body, and for the first time since the war started, he feels so alien in his own body that he wants to curl up and simply cry. He did that a lot at the start, until he followed Megatron into Kaon and lost whatever childhood innocence remained. The memory makes him pull himself together again. The moment Airachnid crashes to the ground before him, he stomps down on her helm, harshly. When she announces that she is yielding, he feels tempted to crush her, just to chase that feeling of loss away.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

When Megatron returns, he bends the knee immediately. Equals they may be in experience and strength, but the hulking gunmetal grey mech still holds his loyalty. Behind his visor, he can feel his optics shutter slightly when Optimus follows him inside. Then he sees the expression on the mech’s face and amends his mental statement. That wasn’t Optimus Prime, not anymore. Or not yet, depending on who you asked. The expression on that face, hauntingly familiar and achingly eerie, belongs to Orion Pax. Soundwave feels like laughing in hysteria. Back on Cybertron, before the war, all he wanted was for Orion to become Optimus again so the shadows would stop haunting him. And now, when he finally stands face to face with the mech again, he just turned back into the archivist. Instead of clenching his servos though, he makes his internal cogs whirr silently. At this point he starts to think that Primus hates him. His cogs whirr louder when Orion turns to him, giving a gentle wave. He gets his dentas, then inclines his head slightly. Megatron wants Orion as a Decepticon? He's going to play along. He trusts Megatron with this.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Every encounter with Orion is painfully awkward, and by now he is thoroughly tired of them. He understands Megatron’s motivations, he truly does, but at the same time he always feels like breaking his vow of silence to scream to high heaven whenever one of Orion’s awkward smiles is sent in his direction. These days his cogs are sent whirring more often than not, and he can feel how his dentas grind down. And no matter his usual aptitude at hiding it, this time Lazerbeak does feel his annoyance and how little patience he has left. They also remember his promise back in the cave, when he had encountered Rafael and divulged too much information in an attempt to freak the boy out. And so, one thing leads to another, and both of them sit together quietly in his quarters on one of the rare evenings he takes time for himself. He can appreciate Lazerbeak’s attempt to distract him from Orion’s presence, but he also would have preferred it if the mini-con had chosen a different way. He makes a whining noise before sending a small pulse down the creation bond to show Lazerbeak just how little he wants to have this conversation. The pulse he receives in return is utterly unapologetic. He huffs once more, then starts to haltingly send the information down the bond, pausing when he struggles for words. More often than not he switches languages on accident, the lilting tones of Cybertronian falling for the rough and deep English and vice versa. Lazerbeak did know some of what is going on already, there was and is no way he could’ve hidden it all from what amounts to his own child. Back, on Cybertron, Ravage has been the one who knew the most, having been the oldest. The catlike bot had lied besides him when he couldn’t cope in his younger days, and after their death he had focused on keeping Lazerbeak and himself alive. Telling his story to his creation feels strange, and he can feel his spark stuttering at times. When he tries and fails to retell the moment, he felt how the bonds he had with Lazerbeak’s siblings die, the avian gently nuzzles him, the metallic hide warm against his skeletal fingers. He absentmindedly locks the door, then slings his arms around the avian. His shoulders shake with both relief and a sense of shame, and he is glad when Lazerbeak sends down feelings of pure adoration and the gentle love of a Sparkling for their carrier.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Arcee is on board of the Nemesis. He has to admit, he doesn’t quite care for her, not anymore, knowing that she did aide the squad that killed his creations. But she is important to Jack, who in turn is important to who he used to be, which, in some convoluted way, makes her important to himself. Lazerbeak chirps quietly at his mental gymnastics, humoured by them. Their insistence that he, one of Megatron’s most loyal, is going behind his back by being nice to others grates a bit, but at the same time he can feel his shoulders shake in the quiet amusement of an inside joke. His vents shift a bit as he enters the hallway Arcee is racing down, knowing how close Orion is. A thrill runs through his wires as he locks his internal Groundbridge onto a location, opening it right in front of himself before she can slam her tires into his face. He prefers to keep his faceplate intact, thank you very much. He just stares when Orion turns around the corner, dragging the moment out into awkwardness. He… probably should stop trying to connect to the mech at some point. Staring like he usually does has only served to alienate him. Orion stares right back though, blinks a few times, then offers a weak “I’ve heard a commotion” after what surely has to have been five minutes at least. On his chest, Lazerbeak wriggles in silent laughter. Traitor.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

“That’s a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms right there. I’d know about those.” His spark almost grinds to a stop at the smug voice piping up behind him, and he masks the flinch with turning around to face Knockout. He stares the smaller mech down, forgoing any audio cues for the mech. The doctor seems to notice that pretty quickly, then shrugs, infuriating smirk in place.

“I mean, you mask it well, trust me on this, but I’ve seen the battle with Airachnid. Almost killed her.” The smirk grows, and a slow clapping sound echoes on the empty bridge.

“Tell me, Soundwave... Why is there _dark energon_ tainting your spark?” A shiver runs through his wires at the question. Of course. Of course, Knockout would notice. He is the bloody medic after all.

“Let me be frank, I don’t think you would repeat that dreadfully idiotic stunt Lord Megatron pulled off. You’re too smart to stab yourself. Starscream would do that, but you’re not ‘Screamer. You’re blindingly _loyal_.” The red mech crosses his arms and leans against the wall of the ship, still smirking.

“I know you have your secrets; I have my own. But this... Imagine what could happen if Lord Megatron finds out?” an almost flippant motion of his hand.

“Care to share?”

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

For a moment, Soundwave is tempted to bust out uncharacteristically rude gestures, before deciding that it would only serve to make Knockout smugger. A GIF of a loading circle pops up on his visor, and he has to stifle a small grin when he sees the medic roll his optics.

“Take your time, Fragger.” Oh, that was his plan. Condensing just about four million years’ worth of data into something that could be shared wouldn’t be a short undertaking, really. He turns back to his consoles, starts to type, then jerks his helm in Knockout's direction, beckoning him closer. The GIF was still playing in a loop, and he hears the vents of the red grounder activate, most assuredly of frustration.

“Must be one hell of a reason if it takes you this long.” Comes the dry remark after almost ten minutes, the silence only filled with the sound of Soundwave's typing. He pauses for a moment, then shoves the GIF to the side of his visor, instead pulling up a thumbs up. He doesn’t go back to his typing afterwards, turns to the entrance of the bridge instead. Orion is coming closer, the heavy steps of the mech echoing through the hallways. He vents in slight frustration before playing a small recording of a drawn-out sigh. He is pleasantly surprised when the red mech besides him nods and rolls his optics in solidarity.

“He’s a goody two-shoes. No ‘con material, but who am _I_ to judge Lord Megatron’s decisions?” He nods in agreement. He rarely disagrees with his friend, but in this he has to agree with Knockout. Orion _really_ is too much of a goody two-shoes.

\--------------------------___________________------------------------

“Soundwave?” Orion’s voice is as infuriatingly nostalgia inducing as usual, and it gives Soundwave the urge to strangle the mech by principle alone. He refrains, instead plays out a voice clip from Knockout, who doesn’t even startle at hearing his own voice ask Orion what he wants. The grounder is well used to that by now, millennia of service alongside the mute mech desensitizing him.

“Better make it quick, Pax.” The medic grumbles.

“I have business with him, he has a check-up scheduled.” He receives hands held up in return, a gesture Soundwave remembers well from his second youth on Cybertron

“ _Speak._ ” It’s Megatron’s voice this time, and he smirks when Orion flounders a bit before voicing his question.

“Ah, yes... I wanted to ask if you have anything on the planet we’re hovering over in your database? I’m... sorely in need of literature, and I may be able to help with planning.” The question makes Knockout snort quietly, and the red mech is all too happy to say why.

“You go ahead and do that. You cannot be worse of a tactician than the Vehicons or Starscream.” He picks at non-existent blemishes on his finish, elaborating further.  
“One of them was not built for anything higher than simple tasks, the other one fancies himself so highly he forgets to see what is right in front of him.”

Soundwave has to bite his glossa at this point, lips twitching behind his visor. That comment was too true, wasn’t it? He quickly sets the data he compiled for Knockout to the side, the process finally finished, before handing Orion a data pad, maybe a tad more forceful than strictly necessary. He could Knockout start sniggering when he pointed back to the door, practically kicking Orion out.

“You really don’t like that mech, do you?”

“Affirmative.” He rasps back, delighting in Knockout’s bewildered gasp.

“YOU CAN TALK??”

\--------------------------___________________------------------------

“Breakdown!” Knockout practically yells as he slams the door to the med bay open. The mech yelled for jumps at the sudden noise, optic wide as he turns around.

“What’s going on? Autobots?”

“ _Soundwave can talk._ ” Knockout wheezes, optics wide open.

“What?”

“ _Soundwave. Can. Talk.”_

\--------------------------___________________------------------------

Lazerbeak is giggling to themselves when they notice that Knockout decided to lie in the next day, Breakdown following his example. They know that their creator rarely talks, hasn’t properly used his voice box in at least 3000 years until this month, but the reaction is still very amusing. They feel their creator pick up on their amusement, and their mechanisms whirr a bit when he sends back the mental equivalent of a gentle nudge and poke. When Knockout finally stumbles on the bridge, his finish lacks his usual sheen and Breakdown is hot on his heels.

“Frag you, Soundwave. You gave him an existential crisis last night.” The broadly build mech growls at their creator, then gives Knockout a comparatively gentle shove.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Not arguing about this again. I have a mission. Only reason I accompanied you to this, really.” Breakdown shrugs, before turning to Soundwave, who already opens a Groundbridge to the requested coordinates. Something in his wires is tingling, the rise of a bad feeling, before it disappears. No time for this. Instead, e turns to the still very smug men in front of him, and simply stares down at him.

“Don’t give me that face. You and I are going to have a nice discussion now. One where you also tell me why in Primus' name your voice sounds so _atrocious_.” While the red mech shudders exaggeratedly, Soundwave makes an offended noise at the comment about his voice.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The med bay is thankfully empty, and Knockout pushes him onto the berth rather forcefully.

“Now, open up. I want to take a look at that voice box and vocoder.” He reluctantly obeys, uncomfortable with exposing that ruined part of his anatomy. From the scandalized noise of the Grounder, he assumes it became even worse than it looked at the start.

“Surprised?” He wheezes out, making Knockout wince.

“What did you _do?_ This is the worst case of damage I’ve seen on any voice box or vocoder. It’s a wonder you _can talk at all!_ ” Knockout throws his hands up, and had his face not already been bone white he would have blanched.

“Soundwave: Screamed.”

“Screaming alone won’t cause that much damage! That looks as if someone tried to tear it out and burn it on top of that. Soundwave, what-" Knockout abruptly stops talking, lurches forward and digs his claws into the berth, optics wide open. His struts tremble, one hand wanders to where his plating hides the spark chamber, and a broken whisper leaves his mouth.

“ _Breakdown..._ ” Soundwave watches, rising feeling of horror drowning out everything. Another one dead. Another one left bondless, left screaming. He gets up from the berth, closes his throat plating, gently grabs Knockout’s shoulder.

“ _Soundwave: will listen. Will understand. Knockout: come to room during evening.”_ He hisses, squeezes the smaller mech's shoulders, then storms off to the bridge. He had news for Megatron, the space bridge just went active. The few bots that see him running through the hallways jump out of the way, unnerved by him abandoning his usual slow gait. Underneath his visor he grits his dentas. Today went everywhere, but not to plan.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The spacebridge is glaringly open, the Autobots are fighting, and Jack has the key to Vector Sigma. The mere idea of that sends him into a fit of frenzy, and the sight makes his spark ache. That key has been fought over for literal ages, and now it apparently holds the collective wisdom and memory of all Primes. Said collective wisdom is unceremoniously shoved back into Orion, destroying whatever endeavour Megatron had to turn him into a loyal Decepticon. Soundwave stares after the mech, shadows on his mind and spark aching. On one hand, Megatron’s plan failed, on the other hand Orion is finally gone and Soundwave’s spark can finally find peace again, stop focusing on who he has been all that time ago. He continues to stand vigil over the Spacebridge for a while, even after everyone else has left. It is Lazerbeak who reminds him that someone might come to his quarters soon. His steps are sluggish with memories when he finally starts to move.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Optimus’ return to the Autobot Base is met with great enthusiasm, and Raf can practically feel a weight lift from his shoulders. Ever since his encounter with Soundwave in that cave, he has been a bit more drawn in than before. Both Jack and Miko had decided that it most likely was like that due to Raf's almost-death, none the wiser. And Raf is in no hurry to clear that up with them, not really. He liked his privacy, and sometimes the other two feel almost overbearing to him. Now is one such moment, and he quietly slinks off to sit in a corner when the party for Optimus becomes a bit too rambunctious. Not long after, the guest of honour approaches him, sitting down after a short look at the ground.

“Are you well, Rafael?”

“Better now, now that you’re back.” He smiles up at the mech lopsidedly.

“But something is bothering you, is it not?”

“I... yes. While you were away, I’ve seen... this other mech around. Soundwave, I think.” Raf slings his arms around his legs, face sullen.

“Soundwave? It has been a while since I have thought about him. We used to be acquaintances, back on Cybertron. He befriended Megatron more than me.” Optimus muses, optics closed in remembrance.

“Really? What... what was he like, before he became a con?” Dread pools in his gut when he asks this. Moment of truth. The moment that would make or break his hypothesis.

“He was... an interesting mech. He always seemed a bit lonely, and couldn’t look at me for too long, though I do not know why. He rarely talked, but his work on computers had been outstanding even back then. He only became more proficient over time.” A small smile graces the Prime's lips.  
“You remind me of how he used to be before he went to the Pits of Kaon.” There it is. The answer Raf dreaded, and now that he has it, he can feel bile at the back of his throat and how his head spins.

“I... I don’t want to become like him, Optimus... He killed so many, didn’t he?”

“Rafael... I don’t think you will end up like him. Soundwave faced things in our war that changed him permanently. Remember, four million years is a long time. As much as it pains me, I am glad you are not afforded that much time. Humans have short lives, but they enjoy them so much more than some of us Cybertronians.” The words are kind, their volume quiet enough that no one except them can hear them. Raf looks up to the mech, and nods with a wobbly smile.

“Thank you, Optimus. I think... I think I needed that.” The words feel like ash on his tongue. If Soundwave could become a ruthless murderer, what is stopping him from becoming one as well?

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Soundwave is digging out the last bit of high-grade energon he owns, optics primed on the door. He has the feeling that the night will become a disaster. Shortly after, Knockout trudges in, shoulders slumped and optics dull.

“He refuses to send out a search party.” Knockout utters numbly, sitting down on Soundwave’s berth almost mechanically.  
“Breakdown isn’t worth it, apparently.” The shorter mech shudders, optics dulling even further. Soundwave hesitates for a moment, then rests one hand on Knockout’s back.

“Soundwave: Understands. Lost Creations in war. Lazerbeak is all that remains.” His optics fall on the Mini-Con in question, lounging across the room.  
“Four dead in five-minute span. Results: Damaged vocoder and voice box.” Knockout stares at him at that comment.

“ _Four?”_ That statement seems incomprehensible to the medic. His own spark already feels like it’s guttering, the broken bond aching in a manner that almost makes him go screaming.  
“How are you still alive? Most bots… die after one.”

“Pride. Stubbornness. Hypothesis: Hated by Primus. Already died once. Maybe cannot die again.” He fidgets a bit, aware of the incredulous stare.

“You... died? But you’re here, next to me.” Knockout squints, then seems to remember something.

“The dark energon. It reanimates the dead, Soundwave. You have it in your spark.” Knockout pauses, then continues. “When did you die? And how?” This is the moment Soundwave hands him a cube of the high-grade, before starting to sip on his own.

“Date of death: One and a half hour before Unicron's awakening. Date of death: Four and a half million years ago. Cause: Debris hurled at skull.”

“That doesn’t make sense, Soundwave.”

“Open files. Files: will explain.” He harrumphs, unceremoniously sending the compiled data. The only sign of tampering Knockout can notice is them being compiled, and he can feel his inner workings slowly grind to a halt as he starts to decipher the files, a horrid mixture of standard Cybertronian, Vosnian, Kaonese and English of all things. When he looks up, there is a bit of shine to his optics, the dullness of a dying bond chased away by intrigue.

“You were human. You, of all Decepticons, were a fleshy.” His optic ridges ride up on his faceplate.

“Affirmative.”

“Primus really must hate you. The least he could've done was putting you in the body of a sparkling. Instead you wake up in, what, the outskirts of Kaon?” The medic looks slightly aghast.

“Soundwave: Got used to Kaon. Lived through the Pits.”

“That doesn’t help. Then again, this just shows that Primus is a fragger... First this scrap, and now Breakdown. Primus really abandoned us, didn’t he?” A humourless chuckle. “We truly are godforsaken, aren’t we?” No answer follows that statement, but Soundwave’s shoulders hunch up.  
“You didn’t put in your name in those files. Who were you?” The question comes after a while of them both sipping on their energon, the buzz of high-grade numbing processors and wires both.

“Sound... I used to be... Rafael Esquivel. Charge of Bumblebee.” It's the first time he breaks his self-inflicted speech pattern, and it hammers home reality a bit more.

“The speech a coping mechanism, then?” Knockout slurs his words a bit, then raises an optical ridge.  
“Constantly reminding yourself who you are now. Clever idea.”

“It hurts.”

“Oho, that I can believe. You’re... you’re a disaster, Soundwave... Rafael... Rafwave.” Knockout gestures sluggishly, clearly overcharged from the high-grade. Then the mech's lips twitch downward, and one servo clenches over his chest. “Breakdown’s gone... That also hurts. Can’t think what losing a life must be like...”

“Bond-breaking comes close. All alone, comfort gone.” Soundwave haltingly explains, then goes ramrod straight when his arms are filled with a sobbing Knockout who clings to him as if he is his lifeline. The mech is practically bawling his optics out, and all Soundwave can do is to gently hold him. He knows the pain. The least he can do is stay. Knockout doesn’t have to go through this alone. Not like he did.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The next days are of the kind both Knockout and Soundwave live through almost mechanically. The hunt for relics is a welcome distraction for a while, but the absence of Breakdown still smarts, and Knockout feels like screaming. He manages to reign it in for the most part, but when he gets a ping on his commlink from Soundwave about a message Airachnid left for them, he lets go of his control. The med bay is adorned with deep gouges in the walls that day. Wisely, no one asks about them.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Bulkhead is on the Nemesis. It irks him that someone got past his defences, _again_ , and it irks him even more when the ship crashes into the ground. Centuries of using the ship with little to no accidents, and now this. It makes him snarl. It’s a soundless one, and no one except Knockout picks up on it. Not even Megatron, and that hurts him even more than the crash did. His friend is drifting, and it worries him. The Dark Energon is addling his mind. The only comfort he really has is, that Unicron's spark lies extinguished at Earth’s core. It’s a small thing, but it gives him hope that Megatron might come to his senses again.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The Nemesis developed sentience. The thought alone makes no sense to Soundwave, but stranger things have happened to him, so he listens when Megatron orders him to bring the ship under control. Knockout looks at him with anxiety when he plunges his tentacles into the console, intent on purging whatever is controlling the Nemesis, and seconds later every wire in his frame is set afire with electricity. He doesn’t move, doesn’t spasm, doesn’t scream. His spark is flickering though, Lazerbeak is screaming over their bond, feels him fighting a loosing battle against a foe stronger than himself. He himself is lost in a memory, back in the Pits. A mech two times his size had shocked him just like the Nemesis does now. It was his first fight. The first time he spilled energon. He bites down on his glossa, chases away the shadows of times past, and instead pulls his tentacles back. It’s a minuscule handshake that tells Megatron that this is a battle Soundwave can’t win. The Warlord snarls but accepts the failure without further retribution. There are more pressing matters to attend to.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The second attempt works. His limbs twitch and shake, but he won against the Nemesis. It is back under their control. He bares his teeth in satisfaction.  
\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Knockout’s attempt to get assigned to another Relic mission is denied by Megatron. Soundwave feels a rise of anger at that. Over the time since Breakdown’s passing, they have become something approaching friends, though even he could admit that bonding over the shared trauma of losing someone probably was not really healthy. And yet it is how they bond. Late at night, over energon they are not exactly entitled to. It works. Lazerbeak is disapproving of the energon part, but happy that he has someone to talk to. Their attempts at making them sit together work, and it makes him shake his head, really. His creation fancies themselves as a relationship-creator.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The almost monotonous grind of getting relic coordinates is broken when he is ordered to get one of them himself and encounters the Jackhammer. His spark flickers in anticipation as he opens fire, then needs to evade when Wheeljack pulls a rather risky manoeuvre. After a few loops and evasions at breakneck speed he deploys Lazerbeak, who eagerly starts to shoot as well, distracting the mech in the cockpit. He himself lands on rocky ground shortly after, already scanning his surroundings. The relic is close. After a relatively short walk, he deploys his tentacles to drill into the ground, having located the place. When he pulls it out, Wheeljack jumps in his direction, and sends him skidding a few feet and the relic flying. The ensuing fight can be called graceful, and he twirls around the twin swords easily. And yet, Wheeljack shaves off a little bit of his visor and faceplate. In retaliation, he begins to fight dirty. No sense playing fair when his mission depends on it. When he sends Wheeljack flying and secures him with one of his tentacles, intent on literally drilling the mech's face in, the Autobot uses that to make him hurt himself. He’s almost impressed, considering that few Autobots ever decide to fight dirty against others. His wires thrum in anticipation as his opponent gets up. A moment later, his visor cracks. Wheeljack's head-butt smarts, and he grits his dentas. This throws him off his game for a moment, a moment the Wrecker uses all too gladly. When he crashes into the ground, not far from the relic, he silently deploys one tentacle to grab it, while Wheeljack stares down at him, gun primed. Not even five seconds later, he gears up the relic, activating the shrillest sound possible. Wheeljack stumbles, screams, falls. Soundwave gets up, attaches the relic to his arm, primes it. He stares the mech down, activates his shattered visor, gets ready to replay a voice line – and falters. Lazerbeak basically screams across the bond.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

He races to where he can feel Lazerbeak, and the moment he can get a visual on what is going on he feels murderous. Ratchet is holding them down, trying to reach Wheeljack via commlink. when he gets no answer, he calls for Raf, and both Lazerbeak and Soundwave stiffen at the name and the resulting answer. With renewed effort, Lazerbeak tries to escape, and when they finally manage to flutter off, they lose parts of themselves. By now they’re practically sobbing across the bond, and the murderous rage inside Soundwave has built up. He crashes into the ground in front of a rock, starts to walk to the Jackhammer, intent on shooting Ratchet, before noticing Lazerbeak on the ground, struggling weakly. He carefully picks them up, makes them transform and lodge onto his chest, then turns around to walk away. Then, a noise. He whirls around, optics roaming over the area. There. That outcrop of rock... He deploys his tentacles, lets them slide over the ground, as silent as possible. In the end, all he retrieves is the part Lazerbeak lost, with it still jumping and retching despite being disconnected from the main body. He transforms in record time after storing said part, then speeds off. He has a Creation to repair, and a report to give.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

He is the only successful one in retrieving the assigned relics. Knockout looks as if he has been dragged through sandpaper valley, and while it would be amusing on every other day, it isn’t now. Lazerbeak is still crying over their bond, and it pains Soundwave. Megatron’s ultimatum to Knockout doesn’t sit well with him, but he remains quiet despite that, focusing on soothing his Creation instead. When they both are lying on the examination berth, scanner hovering over them, his spark speeds up when Knockout declares his diagnosis. He gets up quickly, urging Lazerbeak to transform. When they do, and open up, he feels the bloodlust rise again. A grenade. The Autobots stuffed a grenade into his Creation. He only notices Knockout screaming and running in panic peripherally, focuses on keeping his hands stable. Any tremor might make Lazerbeak explode, and he is unwilling to cause just that.

“Ah, that is _clever._ ” Megatron muses, leaning over.

“Knockout. Prepare to properly dispose... of the obstruction.” The grin following after does not bode well for the medic, whose plating is literally trembling. When the medic starts running with the grenade in hand, Soundwave relaxes a bit, even more when Lazerbeak sits upon his chest again.

“Soundwave.” He turns to Megatron, who is momentarily distracted by the sound of an explosion. Knockout will be insufferable later. At this rate, the high-grade will be empty soon.

“If we are to maintain any advantage over the Autobots, decoding the remains of the Iacon database must remain your priority.” His answering nod is slow, but no less agreeable. He understands. For now, he will keep a closer optic on both Knockout and Lazerbeak though. Both got hurt today. He doesn’t like that.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Apparently, Megatron values Knockout’s health as less important than Soundwave’s. On one servo, he feels reassured that, despite the intoxicating nature of the Dark Energon, his friend still values him. On the other servo, Knockout is the only medic they have, now that Breakdown rests in the Allspark. They’re of equal importance. He also can feel Knockout’s discomfort at being ordered to repair his visor from the distance, despite focusing on the database. He sighs quietly, then beckons the medic over.

“Soundwave: Does not mind if Knockout sees face.”

“That’s not the problem. Not anymore. I _am_ curious, but it stings that Lord Megatron values my own health so little, considering I am the only one who knows how to fix him up if he decides to do something stupid.”

“Rule one: Beware the Medic.” He intones wisely, then stops typing to rest one hand on Lazerbeak.

“Anything you got to say, Wave?” Knockout asks a moment later, noticing the gesture.

“Lazerbeak: Almost died. Was held by Autobot Ratchet, and cried over bond.” The expression on Knockout’s face quickly changes from curious to shocked, finally settles on horrified understanding.

“Not good. Really not good. You’re walking trauma by now. How much high-grade do you have left? You need it.”

“Quantity: Not enough for the Nemesis's Slag.”

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

The briefing shortly after is more of a dressing down than anything. He knows how little Megatron cares for people who fail him, a trait that developed way back, in the Pits, and it only became only more pronounced over time. It irks him, especially when he can easily pick up the undercurrent of “everyone else is worthless". Hardshell's announcement of being unable to get the Tox-En makes him exhale a bit in relief, relief that turns into minor horror when he hears that Bulkhead got infected by it. They may not be on the same sides anymore, but Tox-En is a horrible and painful way to go. A way he doesn’t wish on anyone. It makes resentment grow in his spark when he sees the glee on the Insecticon's face. Beastly glee at causing a painful death. He is loyal. But at times he begins to see why Starscream always rebels . And it scares him. If he, Megatron’s most loyal, begins to loose conviction in the cause, what does that spell for their goal?

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Breakdown’s signal is back online. Knockout feels his spark soar at the sight, but a quick nudge by Soundwave brings him back down to reality rather fast. It has been too long. Whatever creature now possesses his signal, it isn’t Breakdown.

“Lord Megatron? It seems Breakdowns signal has popped back online... albeit corrupted.”

“Investigate with caution. It may well be an Autobot trick.” Knockout nods at the order, well aware of the possibility. Soundwave however isn’t so sure. The Autobots are many things, but reanimating the dead or feigning dead signals never has been one of their techniques. When Knockout returns, it becomes evident that something is wrong. Very wrong.

“CYLAS. He calls himself CYLAS. That isn’t Breakdown. That’s a _fleshy_ sitting in his chassis! Piloting his dead body!” The medical’s frame shakes in anger, and Soundwave can see the scratches from Knockout’s claws all over the usually immaculate finish. Even Lazerbeak is concerned, optics flitting over the Grounder's frame in worry.  
“They _desecrated his body._ ” It comes out as more of a sob than a yell, and Soundwave understands. He really does. Losing someone is one thing. Getting the hope that they somehow got back up, only to have it squashed is something else. And having a hideous parody of your _Bondmate_ paraded in front of you is plain cruel.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

He watches when the humans evacuate the base, keeping close to the walls of the building. The moment he sees the last one leave, he crashes into the halls, tentacles already digging into the technology. The rush of fresh data is as exhilarating as usual, and just as intoxicating as high-grade. When Megatron calls in, he pings back an affirmation. Moments later, he notices three enemy signals coming closer, and also notices that someone is trying to disable the satellite he currently attempts to get the codes from. He is quicker however, snatches the codes, and transforms moments before the Autobots kick in the door. He is gone before they can even form the idea of following him.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

He feels confused at first when Megatron declares that CYLAS has earned a place at the table. Said confusion turns into vindictive glee and pleasure when he follows up on it with correcting CYLAS’ assumption.  
“Knockout’s dissection table.” He grins behind his visor when he sees Knockout ready his prod, sadistic grin in place.

“Breakdown would be tickled.” The medic declares, expression becoming less and less inviting, and more and more threatening as he starts advancing towards the abomination of a creature. Soundwave readily shows a picture of his old self alongside Miko and Jack when Megatron prompts him, and watches without care when CYLAS goes down from the electric prod. His glee grows when Megatron and Knockout converse over the body, and Knockout’s declaration of leaving nothing unexamined makes his spark jump and flutter strangely. On his chest, Lazerbeak radiates smug amusement when they notice that, and refuse to elaborate. It makes him roll his optics but seeing Knockout smirk while watching CYLAS getting dragged off brings that feeling back twice as strong. He probably should get himself examined if that continues.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Coordinates follow coordinates, and by now he lost track of how many he decoded, how many were found, and how many lost. Everything blurs together a bit lately, and it worries him greatly. He listens to Megatron talking about how distraught Optimus looked after the Starsaber shattered with only half an audial, more focused on finally decoding the database entry. The sooner this is done, the sooner he could get to Knockout and get himself a check-up. Said plan gets destroyed when the medic in question advances onto the bridge, and volunteers himself for relic-hunter duty. Bother.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

More relics, more losses. At the rate this is going, the war will not go out in their favour. Megatron has assigned him to locate the Autobot base on the side as well, and he feels a bit like laughing hysterically. He still knows where the base is, a memory as unique as seeing giant robotic life forms for the first time does not disappear, and he uses the time he should spend looking to clean up his hard drives instead. They have become cluttered, and he privately suspects they’re the cause why he has a hard time keeping track of things lately. Then again, his version of “having a hard time” is more equal with other Cybertronians best work, so he isn’t too worried on that end. If Megatron asks, however, he can pull up a simulation that comes close enough to his usual modus operandi that he shouldn’t get suspicious. As usual, when he does things in a way that he knows his friend wouldn’t approve of, he feels Lazerbeak’s amusement at his actions and their quiet insistence that he is a traitor now. It’s only said jokingly, and he knows it, but these days it rings a bit more true than usual.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Lazerbeak is deployed before the new Autobot recruit even notices him, and he takes great joy in seeing his Creation herd the young bot. It’s a thankless job, really, but he is not even close to objecting if it means he can get out of the Nemesis for a while. The atmosphere on the ship is stifling with so many relics being lost left and right, and Megatron’s mood sunk lower than the temperature in the arctic circle. When he shoots at the white Autobot, Resonance Blaster humming, he sees the Groundbridge open. It’s not one of his own, so he tenses up while grabbing the newbie. His own Bridge opens as the one of the Autobots closes, and he can spot Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Optimus himself. He is almost amused at the number of high-quality fighters, but pride is not something he entertains often, not in regard to his fighting. And here it doesn’t even come to a fight, he drags the almost-sparkling through he Bridge and closes it before the Autobots reach them. The Autobot in his grasp just groans lowly, still out of it from the Resonance Blaster.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

The relic inside the Autobot is secured.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Cybertron looks as dreary and dead as it did the last time he saw it, and his spark aches. It aches for an entirely different reason when Megatron tells him that Starscream is in command until he returns. He likes his friend, really, but at times he fears the battles with Optimus rattled his helm too much and shook his processor lose.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Starscream proposes an entirely different plan than the one Megatron has, and for once it is a good one. Then again, that does the mech a disservice. Starscream usually comes up with good plans. He just doesn’t execute them at the right time. Now however, it goes off without a hitch, and he soon clutches a jar with his old self. Said child looks up at him fearfully, an expression he was prepared for, but it still takes him aback. It’s an expression mixed with one he recognizes from himself, and it strikes him all at once just how _alike_ they are, despite the aeons of life he has on the child. Some mannerisms never die, it seems.

“You’re lucky, Soundwave, you have the quiet one. I, however, have the loud one of the batch.” Knockout sighs dramatically, one servo draped across his forehead. He doesn’t reply, except for a tilted head, but the sentiment gets across despite that.  
“Now you’re just being rude, calling dibs and all.”

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Megatron proposes his ultimatum, and for a moment he actually feels sorry for this, especially when the quiet whimper of Rafael reaches his audials. He may not longer be able to suffocate, but the concept of choking to death is still in his coding, and it makes him shudder. Leftovers of humanity entrenched in his very being, as much proof of him not being a born and bred Cybertronian as possible. He is broken from his thoughts by Starscream dialling up his creepiness factor, and the screech of talons on glass. The following declaration of the kids that they would sacrifice themselves for their planet is almost sweet, but it also highlights just how quickly they had to grow up. It also highlights the similarities between himself and Rafael again, when, instead of verbally declaring his conviction, he just nods. His spark aches lowly, and he side-eyes Knockout. Is it only him who sees it? He has to ask later, despite the outcome here.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Miko calling for Knockout to get scrapped is almost cute, really. She’s just as animated as he remembers, if not more so. It also achingly reminds him of how Frenzy and Rumble were, before they went off-line.  
His own handover goes more quietly, except for Bumblebee swearing at him in binary. He is almost scandalized at the vocabulary, if he didn’t remember Ratchet as clearly as he does, and if the situation were different. Some situations just need swearing.  
The following one certainly did, considering their plan. Omega Lock activated and tested; he watches with a quirk of his lips as Megatron declares his intentions. Earth wouldn’t be the same anymore. One way or another. The darkly amused laughter of his friend is infectious, and after a moment he himself feels his shoulders bob in silent laughter. Earth used to be his home planet, yes. But four million years chase away feelings like that, and war leaves nothing but corruption in one’s spark. He knows this. He is a victim of this. And for once, he doesn’t care. Because Megatron achieved his goal. The Decepticons achieved their goal. And with that, he himself achieved his goal. The reverie is broken in seconds when Optimus becomes enraged by this. Soundwave is not spared by this wrath and gets thrown to the side when Optimus slams the Starsaber down onto the Omega Lock. The resulting explosion is devastating, and it breaks him from his former deliriousness at achieving the goal of the Decepticon cause. He is filled with shame, if it could be called that, struts aching. He really strayed from the path, didn’t he?

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

New Kaon is as impressive as it is dreary. It is also a place where he gets virtually no privacy anymore, and his nightly “drink yourself into a stupor”-challenges with Knockout are on hold due to that. And because the red mech is stuck on Cybertron right now, looking for any advantages they could get. It makes him sad, somehow. Lazerbeak as well, considering their usually constant and cheerful humming over their bond has turned into a sad little melody that reminds him of the days after their siblings off-lined. He has to admit, his own spark is pulsing differently these days. The rhythm changed subtly, but he knows the tune and signature of his own spark like the back of his servo. There is something changing. He just needs to find out what exactly.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Knockout calls in for a Spacebridge shortly after Lazerbeak returned from a scouting mission. In tow, he has Shockwave. It makes his optical ridges rise up in surprise. He, like everyone, thought the mech dead. Then again, death is something that feels rather cheap these days, what with the dark energon. The change in chain of command is not really surprising though. If he remembers it right, that specific set-up has been in use on Cybertron as well. Starscream’s annoyance over it is nothing new either. The Seeker really has to get that under control.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

A Monkey. Knockout really has the right idea when he starts laughing. Sure, he may hide it, but Soundwave still notices it. Still, a screaming monkey in a top hat. He recognizes the tactic, and a small well of nostalgia rises up at it. Looks like little Rafael is still doing his job. That it now made Starscream look like a fool is a bonus, really. He ought to give the boy something for that, really. Maybe a cybertronian coding puzzle.  
\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

Shockwave’s announcement of having created the ultimate Autobot-hunter is a big one, and while Shockwave is by no means a slouch, Soundwave is not quite sure if the scientist can deliver on this one. When the Spacebridge is open, and the first claw slams into the ground, he gets a bad feeling. Said bad feeling intensifies more and more as the creature emerges. Starscream finally hammers it home just what he is seeing. A Predacon. A creature extinct since countless years. If he could, he’d be sweating bullets, and curse Shockwave into oblivion. Tampering with creation? No. The scientist had done something that even humans warned against. Dim as it is, he does remember one of the first movies he got to watch as a human, and it contained the exact same premise. The name escapes him now, but one line still hangs in his mind. _Life finds a way_. And that scares him more than everything else.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

The signals of the children pop up on their screens. Unlike Starscream, he is very much wary of it, unsure if this is a ruse or not, and he is not willing to risk it. When the call of them being under attack comes, he thinks the voice sounds familiar, but agrees for their forces to be sent out regardless. Shortly after, the forces report back, and he thinks to himself that the move was clever. As Starscream fumbles to explain himself, he pulls up schematics of the Harbinger, noting slight activity. Of course. Megatron however, does not take kindly to this.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

He still hasn’t found the time to talk to Knockout again. However, he can finally get away from New Kaon, if only to chase Optimus in an aerial battle that sends his wires thrumming and spark pulsing in excitement. Said excitement is ruined rather fast, the hit to his wings stinging painfully. He hurdles to the ground, but not without giving the Prime a parting gift by sending him crashing as well. The damage to his arms is superficial at best, thankfully, and he can watch the battle between Shockwave, Bumblebee and Smokescreen. Said battle devolves into a tug-o-war rather quickly, until the bone they are fighting over finally breaks. One tooth sails through the air, the trajectory making it fall directly in the way of Optimus’ cannons. His visor lights up, calculations fly, and seconds later a Groundbridge opens up directly underneath the tooth, and he knows it will fall directly in Megatron’s servos. He waits for Lazerbeak, then transforms. Time to head home.

\--------------------------___________________-------------------------

He sighs loudly when he can finally relax in his room. Knockout sits across from him, leaning precariously on a chair.

“You would think having that Predacon on our side would give us time to relax, but no, we are busier than ever.” Knockout rolls his optics at this, then mockingly raises his cube of high-grade.  
“To the anthill that we call Decepticons.” It makes Soundwave snort a bit, and he raises his own cube in response. Lazerbeak is gently whirring, hiding underneath some blankets they stole from somewhere (and he doesn’t want to ask where), and constantly making some noises.  
“Lazerbeak is exited today, aren’t they?”

“Bugging me, more like it.” He replies dryly, then taps the casing of his chest.  
“Spark rhythm changed.” Knockout raises an eyebrow at that declaration.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Know Spark rhythm like back of servo. Changed.”

“Well scrap. Anything else?” The red grounder leans forward, expression suddenly a lot less cheery.

“Fluttery feeling. Mostly around you.” Speaking these words feels kind of awkward to him, and he doesn’t really have an idea of why.

“A… fluttery feeling. You’re a real goldmine of explanations there, ‘wave.” Knockout sighs, then puts his cube down.  
“Alright, open up, I might be able to see just what is going on there.” He nods, then begins to open up layer of casing after layer of casing. His spark is pulsing in a manner that could be described as almost soothing.  
“It _looks_ normal, except for these damned purple swirls you have in there… Unicron probably has some sort of claim on you if we don’t get that out at some point. Otherwise…” He squints, then slowly his optics go wider and wider. Seconds later Knockout’s own casing opens up, and he wheezes in surprise.

“Verdict?”

“’Wave, I’m… not sure how to tell you this, but… I had this once. And only once. Sparks don’t change their rhythm for nothing. Few things do that. One, a tragic accident. Two, the bond of Creator and Creation. And three...”

“A Spark-bond.” Soundwave finishes, almost whispering.

“And my own responded in kind, it seems. Mine became quieter, focused. Yours? It probably became a bit wilder, didn’t it? Prone to sudden surges of energy?” A mute nod.  
“Figures. Your rhythm didn’t chase the bit I retained from Breakdown though. He’s still there in that way. A calm, steady beat. You probably don’t have that.”

“I… no.” Soundwave looks down at his servos in something approaching shame.  
“Sorry. Not my intention. You still grieve. I have no right.”

“Screw that, pretty boy. You certainly didn’t force it. You didn’t even _notice_ until it was too late. So, stop beating yourself up about that.” Knockout sighs.  
“Not sure how Breakdown would react, but he also would tell me to stop moping over his death, so go figure. You’re stuck with me now.”

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Zombies. Of all the things that Knockout’s experiment could have produced, it has to be _Zombies_? He would laugh, but Megatron is in the room, and considering how angry the gunmetal grey mech is, that would be supremely unwise. However, he does listen to every single word, and sends Knockout a very pointed “Why” across the commlink. He gets the impression of a shrug back over their newly discovered bond, and as foreign as it is, it’s also amusing. Still. Zombies. That act like vampires. The world has gone mad. The High Alert Megatron asks for is sent out immediately, before Soundwave notices a disturbance in an area no one has any business to be in. He excuses himself shortly after. No one is supposed to mess with the relics. Said disturbance turns out to be an escapee rather than an intruder, however. Airachnid is standing in the hallway, and the sight makes him clench his servos. When she runs at him, he begins to calculate, and in a manner that is so reminiscent of the time he sent Arcee out of the Nemesis, he sends her straight onto one of Cybertrons moons. Her scream of fury still reaches him through the closing Bridge as he turns away. This is no longer his problem.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Life finds a way. The Predacon developed sentience and pledges loyalty.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Predaking may have pledged loyalty, but Megatron does not trust him. Neither does Soundwave, but that is mostly related to Starscream’s chronic backstabbing disorder, and to his memories of that one movie. He doesn’t say anything when Megatron plans to lure the Autobots in to terminate the Predacons currently incubating. The resulting rage of Predaking is one he understands on a deeper level though. Bonds breaking, no matter how weak, always hurts.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Like the last time he encountered the Prime, he is in pursuit again. Like last time, Lazerbeak is deployed. What isn’t like last time is the fact that the Prime hits his Creation and sends them hurtling away. They scream at the contact, trundle off their intended flight path, and fall back. Soundwave goes faster in response, evades the shots of the Prime, until the one time where he can’t. His underside smokes, and engines stutter. He promptly starts to fall, right into the power lines and the ground. Electricity runs through his body, every single wire feels like molten slag, and for a moment he is back in the Pits, back before his first enemy, on the ground and screaming, twitching. Unlike that time, he goes into stasis. Too much voltage.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

He wakes up in restraints and on an operation table. Every single member of the Autobots is staring at him, even the kids, and for a moment he feels strangely exposed. Wheeljack proclaiming wanting to make him talk only serves to make him roll his eyes, and so does the “interrogation” of Optimus. He shows the latter by repeating a messed-up version of the question. He chuckles inwardly at Miko’s whisper, simultaneously making a smiley appear on his visor. The resulting threat, and it _is_ one, no matter how well masked, makes him pull a stunt that he hasn’t done since his time in the Pits, developed purely so he would have something in his repertoire for when he needed to make good on his name. The sound he emits is shrill, painful, and exactly on the frequency needed to incapacitate Cybertronians.

“Scrap this! Soundwave is no ordinary Cybertronian, inside or out!” Ratchet’s angry voice is tearing through the silence following, and the statement makes Soundwave wonder if Ratchet has even an inkling of how true his statement is.  
“So I strongly suggest opening him up so we have a first-hand look at the information recorded on his drives.” Ratchet wanted his drives? He could have them. Empty. For occasions _exactly_ like this one he had backups on Lazerbeak, and for once they would have to be used. He feels vindictive glee at the scandalized way Ratchet intones what he is doing, and he gladly breaks his vow and strains his vocoder to deliver one last statement.

“Soundwave Superior, Autobots inferior.” He snarls, then manually induces a crash.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

He comes back online with a start, data rushing into his drives, and with a sobbing Lazerbeak attached to his chest. He promptly falls back into the gladiatorial mindset, lashing out at any threats in vicinity. Smokescreen is slammed into the ground with fervour, Bulkhead shocked into stasis-lock. Fowler is thrown to the side, and he steps over the heap with single-minded focus, tentacles sparking. Ratchet looks on in horror as he comes near, and unlike usually, he feels no remorse of any kind when he attacks an Autobot. This went too far. He would have a gift for Megatron, this time. He is done being nice, not when this is the reward.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Ratchet worked to fall from his grace, but his conviction of the Autobot cause are nonetheless admirable, Soundwave has to admit that. However, that does not stop him from threatening Ratchet with the destruction of the children, or the Autobot base. Starscream’s comment irks him a bit, but he can’t deny that humanity often was the thing that destroyed plans. The despair on Ratchet’s face at the threat is worth every ounce of remorse he feels at his actions though. The ‘Good Doctor’ angered him. And he pays for that now. The niggling feeling of guilt makes it a hollow victory though.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The guilt is back. Stronger than ever. They’re in orbit, the Wreckers are storming the bridge, and he is harried. Sending the Wreckers off into a different location of the ship isn’t the problem, the problem is, that he can feel everything on the Nemesis going to pot, and his spark is aching with an intensity that can only mean that something is going to end up being everything but healthy. When the Groundbridge in front of him opens, and Miko busts out in the Apex Armor, Jack ahead of her, the ache intensifies, more so when he opens a Groundbridge and starts to advance. Then his audials pick up Jack’s phone conversation, and he closes it as fast as he can, the pull of the Shadowzone as distinct a memory as his first meeting with Cybertronians. An admirable plan the kids had, but he refuses to spend the rest of his life as a shadow. Instead, he steps backwards into the Groundbridge the kids opened, right in time before it closes. He lands right before Rafael and Fowler, and smirks behind his visor. He is lucky today, it seems. He crouches low, knocking Fowler out with a precise application of force, and stares at the boy.  
“You know.” It’s not a question, but a statement. He left enough breadcrumbs for the boy to follow.  
“Good.”

“Why? And how?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you become a Decepticon? Why not an Autobot?” The boy sounds heartbroken.  
“What happened?”

“Memories haunt. They surround the Prime. Was not who I remembered. Would not be for a long time. Megatron was not haunted. Was an anchor. Is an anchor.” He offers, the best explanation he can give.  
“Valuable Friend. First person encountered on Cybertron.”

“Friendship, huh? I guess… I guess I can understand that.” The child still looks uncomfortable.  
“I don’t want to become a Decepticon… But if you could become one, then… then I’m at risk myself, right?”

“Not a risk. A Choice. Made that choice long ago. Four million years of war change people. Short lifespan is a gift. Use it well.” He utters solemnly, then turns around. He needs to get back to the Nemesis.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

He arrives to pure chaos. Down by the Omega Lock, Optimus and Megatron are slugging it out, Arcee is fighting with Starscream, Smokescreen is surrounded by Eradicons. He watches as Bumblebee thefts up the Starsaber, throws it in the air, hits Shockwave. He chuckles hoarsely when the gigantic mech falls, and steps forward, gait as slow as usual. When Bumblebee jumps, ready to stab Megatron, he starts walking faster, just in time to see the shots from Megatron’s fusion canon hit the scout's chest. He freezes, watches in disbelief. Then screams. Louder than ever before, as loud as on _that_ day, and for one moment he is the little boy that just died, is the mech who is losing his Creation, and leaps after the Scout. Everything slows to a crawl as he stretches his servos towards the small mech who struggles to cling to life, optics flickering and chest burning. The Starsaber clatters to the ground, and then both Bumblebee and Soundwave fall into the cybermatter.

Liquid swallows them both, sinks into every crevice of their armour, fills their vents, drags them under. Distant screaming, from both the Prime and Knockout dimly filters through, but neither bot really hears it. Soundwave feels as if he is drowning, claws at his chest when _something_ bursts out and dissolves, then his throat when it burns, why does it burn, he isn’t on cybertron, his vocoder isn’t melting? His vents try to unclog themselves, but it only serves for some bubbles of air to escape. He can feel Lazerbeak writhing on his chest, how their bond is filled with sheer panic, fear and a very poignant and desperate _why_. Then, a servo bursts through the surface, sharp fingers groping for someone, something. He weakly stretches his own servo, sluggish from the cybermatter. The servos find each other, the claws hook into his metal, and pull with power he never really suspected they have. He breaks surface seconds later, vents screaming for air, spark stuttering. He collapses onto the ground, weakly raising his helm, just in time to hear an enraged scream, sees his friend turn, then choke. The Starsaber protrudes from Megatron’s chest, wielded by _Bumblebee_. He feels like crying at the sight, unsure if it’s from relief at the scout coming back to life, or sadness at Megatron’s demise. He trembles, servo still holding onto Knockout’s, but despite the act Knockout just pulled, neither of them can avert their optics. They distantly note Starscream’s voice, but the words of the scout are much more poignant, and in Soundwave’s audials so much more important. His spark swells at the sight, the _sound_ of Bumblebee having his own voice back. He finally manages to look at Knockout, then draws him into the embrace of a dying man clinging to his last hope. Its tight, not how the first embrace should be, but it’s one suiting the occasion.

“Don’t do this again, Soundwave. I thought I lost another one. Breakdown already was too much, don’t... Don’t add to this. Please.” Knockout chokes on the words, and his claws are digging into Soundwave’s back, but he receives a nod in return.

“I won’t. The war is over. I won’t fight. I won’t die. I stay. You’re... stuck with me.” He echoes the words Knockout used, back when they discovered what time and closeness has built, but this time with his own voice. Without a hurting throat. He feels like crying all over again, but for entirely different reasons.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

They both slink off to the side and watch the proceedings quietly. Knockout rolls his optics when the Autobots turn to them, then pointedly stands before Soundwave.

“Why?” It’s Arcee who asks the question, looking directly at Soundwave.

“Why has he jumped into the cybermatter after your scout? Because he’s a stupid, self-sacrificing fragger, that’s why.” Knockout answers while rolling his optics again. They’re both stopped from talking when the sound of struggling vents and a retch interrupt them. Knockout raises both optical ridges at the sight of Soundwave, who is hunching over more than usual, cybermatter running from his vents, noisily hitting the ground, and the bottom of his jaw unhinged not unlike those of a Terrorcon (the medic shudders at the thought).

“Is this really necessary? Do you _really_ need to purge this from your systems right in front of everyone?” A nod, then the jaws close up again. The clanking of footsteps follows, and Knockout sighs exaggeratedly.

“Alright, alright, you’re the boss, Wave.” He turns to the Autobots, who all have varying degrees of shock and disgust on their faceplates, then waves.

“We will be retreating to his quarters. You don’t bother us; we don’t bother you. Deal? Deal."

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

He crashes pretty much immediately upon entering his quarters, and only just remembers to shut the door once Knockout comes in. Lazerbeak appoints themselves as the guardian of the doors, and in the time he sleeps, they knock back at least three Autobots. Smokescreen is the most persistent, and no amount of scratches and stun-level shots seem to dissuade him. It annoys Knockout more than Soundwave though, who uses his newfound freedom from the Decepticons to catch up on decades of missed sleep. Two weeks in though, even he has to admit that energon is a problem, and reluctantly motions for Knockout to come along. Maybe they can salvage some of the stores left on the Nemesis.

\--------------------------___________________--------------------------

He doesn’t even know why he bothers being surprised anymore. Starscream has escaped once again, and the literal moment Knockout and him step outside of their room, they’re herded together by harried looking Autobots.

“So... what happened _this time_? Terrorcon Vampires? Did one of them survive?” Knockout directs this last part at him, and he just mutely shakes his head. As far as he knows, none did.

“Terror- Just what was going on on this ship?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Weather boy.” Knockout replies smugly, and pats Bulkhead's arm.

“Shots: Fired.” Soundwave rasps in amusement, smirks behind the visor when Bumblebee sputters in surprise.

“Honestly, what are you so surprised about? You aren’t special with your voice, you know?”

“Peace, Knockout.”

“Oh, come on, I’m defending you!”

“Peace.”

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

“What the _hell_ were you two doing? He looks as if he went through the grinder!” Knockout sounds horrified when he lays optics on Ultra Magnus.

“Predacons. New ones.”

“ _What?_ ” It was a quiet word, but it still lets the entire bridge quiet down. The tranquil fury practically rolls off him in waves, and Lazerbeak whirrs in confusion.  
“Shockwave needs CNA of other Cybertronians to clone. Most likely desecrated graves and corpses. Few sources of CNA fresh enough.” He stomps closer to the terminal, easily shoves aside Arcee when she tries to intercept him. He grimly pulls up a short list, then faces the Autobots.  
“List of available sources aside from bone.” He hisses, and sees when Knockout zeroes in on one specific name.

“ _No. **No**.” _The red mech whirls around, then seizes Smokescreen.  
“ _What did they look like?_ ”

“Whoa! Careful there, man! What they looked like? Both big, pretty burly. Wings on their backs, primarily blue and silver. Yellow optics. One turned into a dragon, the other one... a gryphon? Is that the word? Like, bird and other animal?” when he receives a nod, he scores his face up in thought.  
“One of them had a yellowish face as well.” If it had been possible, Knockout would have gone even whiter than his face already is. He starts to tremble, curls his servos into fists, then screams.

“ _He used Breakdown!”_ the words practically drop with venom, and the edges of Knockout’s optics start to turn white from sheer fury.  
“ _I will field-dress that mech when I find him.”_

\--------------------------___________________------------------------

Ratchet barely spares them a glance, quickly focusing on the problem at hand. That leaves Soundwave and Knockout free to accompany the Autobots for their scouting. They’re progressing into the dead lands, closer and closer to a place that makes Soundwave’s spark shudder. Dead lands with even deader inhabitants. The loud flap of gargantuan wings draws their attention, and the sight of Predaking landing is as good as spark stopping. So is the audacity of Bumblebee when he as good as commands Predaking to hold his fire.

“The Little scout sure has bearings, doesn’t he?” a shallow nod is Knockout’s answer, before Soundwave bows to Predaking, then straightens out to hear the Predacon's answer.

“Legions of them. Behold, my subjects. Countless multitudes, extinct ages ago by the great cataclysm. Brought to light by the shift of plates during our planet’s restoration.” An almost sad note swings along with that sentence.

“Yeah, well, Ultra Magnus and me just about got scrapped by two living ones. Got anything about them, _your highness?_ ”

“Two? Where?” the mech looks taken aback.

“We came to ask your help in finding them.” Bumblebee steps forward.

“For revenge?” a growl.

“No. Optimus Prime would deem it a tragedy to stain this planet’s soil with freshly spilled energon. Let us do what Megatron never deemed possible. That more than one race can peacefully coexist on cybertron.” Once again, Predaking looks taken aback. Then he leans down, his reply scathing.

“You assume that, because I turned against Megatron, I’d forgive the Autobots’ role in the destruction of my brethren on earth?” a shake of his head.  
“No. Leave me be. And dare not trespass here again.” The Autobots accept. Chagrined, but they accept. Neither Knockout nor Soundwave move to follow them.  
“You stay despite my warning. Why?”

“We have different reasons for finding these two Predacons. Shockwave desecrated my Bondmate to create them.” Knockout’s snarl is as impressive as any Predacon's, and it takes the gargantuan one in front of them aback for a moment.

“Desecrated how?”

“Breakdown is dead. Shockwave harvested CNA of the corpse to fill gaps in CNA in bones.” Soundwave pipes up, steps closer.

“And what does that mean to you?”

“At least one of these Predacons is my _Sparkling_ purely because of him sharing CNA with my Bondmate. He’s _kin._ That’s important to you, isn’t it?” Knockout slams his prod into the ground, servo shaking in repressed anger.  
“I will _field-dress_ Shockwave for desecrating Breakdown’s corpse. You are invited to attend.” The medic promises darkly.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

They both stay with Predaking, to try and track whatever new Predacons they might encounter. Over the course of said tracking, Knockout’s murmuring about the vowed revenge on Shockwave becomes more and more graphic.

“You can chew on his bloody optic, for all that I care. As long as I get his spark.”

“A suitable exchange.”

“Do not encourage.”

“Just because you want his processor you don’t need to ruin everyone’s fun, ‘Wave.” He just prepares to answer, when the Predacon stops.

“We might not be able to track them any further. But we can make them find _us._ ” That said he transforms, and begins to spew fire into the sky, colouring it orange. He upholds this for a while, before changing back.

“Now we have to wait, your highness.” Knockout hisses, sadistic pleasure evident on his face. If luck is in their favour, they might just be able to get him to Shockwave _very soon_.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Unicron. Of all things possible, it has to be Unicron. Soundwave would recognize that spark signature everywhere. He pulls Knockout to the side, just in time to avoid being seen.

“Hide.” A nod. He quickly deploys Lazerbeak, listens to the exchange between Predaking and the Chaos Bringer with half an audial, then feels the sheer heat of the fire of the Predacon.

“He sure knows how to dial that up, doesn’t he?”

“Quite. Hot enough to melt Kaonian steel. Not enough for Unicron’s Vessel. Still a formidable weapon.” He finally gets up, pushes Lazerbeak into Knockout’s servos.  
“Keep safe.” then he jumps out behind the rock, and hits Unicron right in the back. The God stumbles, then turns around in surprise and pain.

“The spymaster?” He doesn’t answer, instead slashes at his foe, faster and faster, the grunts of pain and surprise fuelling him. On his side, Predaking is rearing up, then clamps down his jaws over one of Unicron’s arms, tears, and rips it clean off. The God screams in anger at this, a sound that could have curdled energon straight inside its veins. Instead, it only makes Soundwave attack harder, desperation running high. Megatron alone is dangerous. Infused with dark energon he is highly dangerous, and possessed by Unicron he is on an entirely different level.  
“You _dare to raise your hand against me?_ ” Soundwave doesn’t answer. Instead, he unhinges his jaw and _screams._ It’s a mixture of the recordings he got from Predaking, his own screams on the day he lost his Creations, the scream when he thought Bumblebee died, and an Insecticon all mixed together into an unholy cocktail of noise, and he tops it off with shocking Unicron senseless. The God writhes, screams in fury, then falls to his knees. Soundwave promptly uses that to slam the sharp sides of his arm wings into the delicate neck wiring before starting to run. Predaking and Knockout follow, and he practically tears the Groundbridge open to transport them to literally any other place.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

They end up in Kaon, near the place where He woke up all those years ago. The irony of it all makes him snort.

“Wave, sometimes I really wonder if your self-sacrificial tendencies have boundaries. You just fought _Unicron._ ”

“Bought time. Unicron knows about Predacons. Might be able to track us. Lost arm, and thus cannot transform. Slows down.” Soundwave replies, cradling Lazerbeak.

“What do you _mean_ , he might be able to track us?” Knockout’s voice rises several octaves at the thought.

“The Demon in Megatron’s skin invaded my mind. He saw the burial grounds.” Predaking rumbles, dentas gnashing.  
“We need to return, maybe destroy as many bones as we can.”

“Not to rain on our parade, your highness, but that’s _Unicron_. Chaos Bringer, lord of the undead? A literal God, capital G and all? You only managed to rip off an arm. Which is due to the element of surprise.” During his rant, Knockout stars gesturing wildly, voice becoming louder and louder in hysteria.

“Knockout, peace.” Raised servos.

“Chance of burial ground being discovered by others: High. List of people looking: short. Starscream, Shockwave, Predacon clones, Unicron.” Soundwave turns to look at Predaking.  
“Return is best option possible. Might encounter those looked for.” He bows his helm, then looks at Knockout.

“Predaking and you can fly, Wave. I’m a grounder, I need to drive there. Unless someone carries me, but I don’t think that-" He stops when his arms get snatched up by draconic claws, and he gets pulled into the air. Soundwave is tempted to laugh at the sight of the medic flailing in Predaking's grip, before jumping up to transform himself. They have a burial ground to return to.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Predaking drops Knockout off a bit away from the burial grounds, before crashing down in front of the other two bots still on the plateau. The burial grounds in front of him shock the Predacon into silence before he turns to the younger mechs standing behind him.

“What happened here?”

“Unicron happened, your Highness, we don’t need to ask for that.” Knockout interrupted, boldly coming closer.  
“Soundwave can still taste the dark energon. He had it in his spark for aeons without knowing.”

“Affirmative.” He nods, then steps before the younger Predacons.

“So... your verdict, ‘Wave? Do I get to field-dress Shockwave?” the wording makes the one with the yellow face perk up in surprise.

“Oh? Why’d you want to do that, huh?”

“Verdict: Shockwave desecrated Bondmate’s corpse. Field-dressing: allowed.” Predaking steps forward after Soundwave stops speaking.

“Shockwave has stolen the CNA of Knockout’s Bondmate to create you. This means that he is your kin. And my own, for you fall under my jurisdiction.” Both of them look a bit taken aback, then leer at Predaking.

“Oh, and who made you boss? What makes you think we listen to anything you got to say?” Soundwave promptly starts herding Knockout to the side at these words. This wouldn’t end without a battle. Knockout understands it as well, and readies his prod just in case they will come too close.

“I am not your _boss._ ” Predaking growls, hunching over and spreading his claws.  
“I AM YOUR KING!”

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

It’s a brutal show, the most primal way of gaining servitude. Soundwave is acutely reminded of his time in the Pits at the sight, never mind that the combatants are all highly dangerous Predacons and not the common mechs and femmes from the slums. Sparks fly and beasts screech, claws swiping at each other. Every other Cybertronian would already be scrap metal, but neither of them looks even remotely winded or injured. Predaking didn’t even bring out his wings yet, but he still has the upper hand.

“They both resemble him so much... Hell, even their fighting styles. Give one of them a hammer and you got it.” Knockout whispers, melancholy evident. He winces when they both get swept aside by Predaking, only to actually gasp when the first Predacon transforms and slams them into the ground by their throats, fire swelling in his maw.

“We yield. All hail Predaking.” One of them finally grinds out, transforming back. He and Knockout take that as their cue to come out again. They stop dead in their tracks when another voice chimes up though.

“An impressive display from my creations.” Knockouts face twists into a sadistic caricature of itself at the sound, and he twirls around, leaning against his prod.

“Why _hello, Shockwave._ Your creations, you say? Funny, considering they have Breakdown’s CNA, and not yours.” The cyclops doesn’t even pick up on the hidden threat, just impassively stares back.

“Knockout. Soundwave. It was only logical to use fresh CNA. Breakdown being the closest sample I could find.”

“And it never occurred to you that I might take objection to you desecrating my Bondmate, did it? Never asked, never told. You just took, and took and took, didn’t you?” The Predacons watch the proceedings quietly, the younger two picking up on what their creator doesn’t, their optics keenly watching Knockout’s predatory stalk around the scientist.

“Your sentimentality is illogical. Breakdown is offline. His corpse does not belong to anyone.”

“Wrong answer.” Knockout practically purrs the words, then rams the prod straight into Shockwave’s back, stomping on the back of the tank-former when he writhes in pain.  
“This will be _so much fun_ , dear Shockwave. You get to experience what CYLAS did. Live dissection, on your own frame.” Knockout leans down, runs a digit along Shockwave's optic, then grabs it tight.  
“Too bad you won’t be able to see it.”

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

The dissection is hasty. It is, at the same time, immensely valuable as an anatomy lesson as well. The young Predacons, Darksteel and Skylynx, watch with a morbid interest, chime in for suggestions, and remind Knockout of their, by all accounts, _father_. It’s a nostalgia he doesn’t quite like, but it also fills the hole in his spark. There isn’t much time for a family talk however, and Knockout soon finds himself clutching the plating of Darksteel's neck, hundreds of feet in the air.

“This reminds me why I prefer my wheels!” He yells, prompting the Predacons to chuckle, with Darksteel being the worst of the lot. An inquisitive screech follows when the nemesis comes into view, and Soundwave takes a detour in its direction.  
“Wave? Wave, what are you doing? Need to go that way, wh- never mind, you aren’t listening anyways...” Knockout tapers off as one of Soundwave’s Groundbridges opens mid-air, then nudges Darksteel in its direction when the vortex doesn’t close after Soundwave flies through.  
“He probably forgot something inside that damn warship.” Three metallic screeches answer him, and in a matter of seconds they appear on the bridge of the Nemesis, with Predaking landing right behind Starscream, who is as good as strangled by Soundwave’s tentacles. Behind Soundwave, Lazerbeak is whirring through the air, Immobilizer in their claws. When the Seeker tries to move and wriggle out of Soundwave’s grasp, one of the pronged endings firmly attaches itself to his chest plate and starts to spark. The mech goes down like a sack of bricks, and Knockout winces at the noise.  
“Ouch. _I_ certainly won’t take those dents out of his plating.” He snorts, then waves jauntily at the Autobots.  
“Hope you don’t mind me bringing the Sparklings along. Family reunion, you see? It’s hard finding someone to watch over them when the literal Chaos Bringer is on planet.” Bumblebee makes an odd noise at that announcement, then sighs.

“Of course, you know. Why wouldn’t you?” The yellow mech shakes his head, then points outside.

“We need to defend the Well of All Sparks. Optimus is out to get it back, and as far as we know, Unicron wants to extinguish Primus' spark. The Well is the most direct route to it.”

“Defending it won’t be easy, but we will do our best.” Bulkhead adds. Soundwave steps forward at that, tentacles attaching themselves to the terminal.

“Soundwave will control Nemesis.” He mutters darkly, priming up the weapon’s systems.

“And we will provide Aerial Support.” Predaking adds, clenching his servos. Darksteel nods in agreement, and Skylynx chimes I’m with a screech.

“I guess I can do some groundwork. I’m not as heavily specialized as these four, but if Smokescreen is _nice_ , I can do marvellous work with your phase shifter. The resonance blaster is also wonderful, but that one is primarily Soundwave’s.” Knockout rambles, while sliding off Darksteel's back.

“I don’t think you will get the phase shifter or the resonance blaster. You can have the Immobilizer, Knockout. Try to get as many Terrorcons as you can.”

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Watching him commandeer the Nemesis is awe-inspiring. Every bot can command the ship, sure, but he can use every single crevice, dig up every last dredge of Trypticon's weapon systems incorporated, and make use of them. The Terrorcons fall in waves, plasma blasts obliterating them, flamethrowers incinerating. The swarm brought by Unicron is reduced by at least a quarter in short time before one of them gets a lucky hit and damages the engine enough that they start to trundle off. And even that is weaponized by him, the sides of the warship slamming into the Terrorcons that do not flee fast enough. When the ship grinds to a halt, He dogs deeper into the systems, unleashes more fire from the weapons that remained operational, hoping that the horde of undead shrinks enough that the Predacons will be able to manage them. When the plasma runs out, he unceremoniously disconnects, then stops outside, Lazerbeak deployed and ready. His stance is that of a gladiator ready for battle, hopeless as it is, but he slams his tentacles into the ground and shrieks, the sound as much a challenge as it is intimidation. He already broke his vow often enough, and no one would care now. He gets answering shrieks of the undead in return, and soon begins to dodge blasts of fire left and right. The sound of heavy bodies slamming onto the ground behind him alerts him of the Predacons joining him, their burning orange fire a clear contrast with the haunted purple. Ashes and slag hit the ground, and the swarm of Terrorcons moves like some horrible, shrieking abomination as the fire burns more and more of their number, reducing the armada to three quarters, two thirds, half of its former size. Unicron roars in fury at this, and even more so when he discovers Soundwave amongst the resistance. His arm is still missing, sparks and dark energon coming out of the wound, and the sight makes Soundwave snarl in satisfaction. More Terrorcons fall to the ground when Knockout hits them with the Immobilizer, the dark energon unable to move the skeletons. Soundwave doesn’t dare hope, but if this continues, they might have a chance at this.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

Optimus is back, and Soundwave never felt as glad as he does now. He falls back, right next to Smokescreen, then points at the phase shifter in his wrist.

“Use it once Prime lands. Allspark cannot fall in Unicron’s servos. Leave it on, grab the Allspark.” He gets a mute nod in return, and Soundwave exhales in relief before transforming. In the air he and Lazerbeak from a hard to beat unit, and they manage to dwindle the numbers of Terrorcons further down. When the Jackhammer crashes into the ground he winces, but tries to keep the Terrorcons from the Well just a bit longer. The entire area is a wasteland, filled with ash and slag, and he is pretty sure there is gunk in his joints, but he doesn’t want to let this planet die. Not after all that happened. He roars a moment later when he transforms mid-air, landing on the skull of a Predacon. It crushes under his weight and velocity, and he takes at least five more down that way before he is swept up in a tangle of claws and fire that he barely escapes by shocking everything in the immediate surroundings. He huffs I’m exertion when he crashes into the ground, then pulls up one of the biggest Groundbridges he can manage to send the Terrorcons to literally every other possible place. He gets a pathetically small number before he has to close the bridge from exertion, every limb shaking. In the distance, Unicron roars in fury, entangled in a fist fight with the Prime, one he is losing. Soundwave heaves, then forces his struts to straighten out, begins to stumble into Knockout’s direction. Multiple Terrorcons try to bring him down, but he continues onwards, evades them just right so that they burn in dragon fire. He is halfway to Knockout when Unicron tries to make a run for the Allspark, Smokescreen running from him in fear.

“KNOCKOUT! THE IMMOBILIZER! USE IT ON _HIM_!” He finally screams, voice cracking, breaking, sounding so unlike the one he was left with by the results of that day, and for one moment he doesn’t feel like Soundwave anymore. Doesn’t sound like him. Bumblebee wheels around at his voice, optics wider than usual, mouthing a name. Time seems to crawl to a stop as Knockout gestures, focuses the relic in his servos on the God, activates it. Then, all at once it rushes back. Unicron falls, the Terrorcons shriek and fall apart, and he himself crashes into the ground as everything goes dark.

\--------------------------___________________---------------------------

He wakes up by Knockout frantically slapping his faceplate. His actual faceplate, not the visor. He dimly hopes that no Autobot sees him, then focuses his optics.

“Did we win?” He asks hoarsely, distantly aware that his voice changed.

“We did. The Immobilizer worked. No Terrorcon left standing.” Knockout smiles weakly.

“Good.” He smiles back, optics half-lidded.

“You utter idiot.” Knockout whimpers a moment later, then pulls him into a rough hug.  
“You almost went into Stasis Lock from energon shortage.” The words are muffled, and yet the despair is evident.

“Apologies. I try to refrain in the future.”

“You better do, Fragger. Or I'll kick your aft from here to the Pits.” As uncreative a threat it is, he knows that the red mech would actually do that. He awkwardly pats Knockout’s back, then looks around. The Autobots are staring, Bumblebee especially.

“Staring is rude.” He coughs out, glaring. Now that his visor is off, probably shattered by him clocking out, it has more effect than before.

“Apologies, Soundwave.” Optimus offers, then inclines his helm.  
“I understand that it is mainly thanks to you that we all can stand here this day, with no losses and the Decepticons formally disbanded. And for that I offer you my deepest gratitude. You did us all a great service.”

“Not... for this. Cybertron is home.” He whispers the last part.

“Even so, you played a great role in saving the Allspark. You may not be an Autobot, and we had our differences in the past, but I would be honoured if you allow me to call you a friend.” He blinks in surprise, then smiles crookedly. He can hear the sharp intake from Bumblebee at that expression, one his human self still wears exactly like that.

“But we already are. Have been, since aeons ago and since the day Arcee brought us to you.” He can finally pinpoint what changed with his voice. He sounds like himself. Like he did as a human, how he _would have_ sounded if he hadn’t died. And it seems he isn’t the only one who noticed.

“One day I would like to hear your story. But not today. Go with your Bondmate. Rest. You deserve it.” He nods in answer. A fair request. He would share his story someday. For now, he is going to help Knockout connect to Breakdown’s legacy. He lifts his helm when he stands, surrounded by the Predacons, Knockout and the Autobots, and smiles. They have peace. He has peace. A family, as cobbled together as it is, but it’s his. On his shoulders, Lazerbeak whirrs in response to his thoughts, and nuzzles him. No more danger. Now they can rest.


End file.
